Small boats as exemplified by pleasure boats and fishing boats are subject to wave action and among other things roll and pitch with the waves. Many times for the occupant of a small boat the roll and pitch action are not pleasant sensations. Also, they may interfere with the work on the boat such as with the hauling in of fish in the nets.
The small boats while docked or anchored or moving slowly or standing still are subject to the wave action.
Over the years there have been efforts to stabilize a small boat against wave action. There is a patent to Donnan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,767, issuing date of Apr. 17 1962, entitled BOAT STABILIZER.
Donnan teaches the use of a boat stabilizer suspended from the sides and the bow of a small boat such as a pleasure boat. The stabilizer comprises a frame with rotatable plates. With the lowering of the stabilizer into the water the plates can rotate upwardly. However, if there is a tendency for the boat to rise because of wave action the rotatable plates will not rotate downwardly and thereby tend to stabilize the motion of the boat with a rising wave. In other words, the boat stabilizers assist in stabilizing the small boat against a roll and also against a pitch.
There is a patent to Hubick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,613, issuing date of Nov. 20 1962 entitled STABILIZER FOR BOATS. Hubick teaches of a stabilizer in the configuration of a frustrum of a cone with the larger opening at the top. The stabilizer is suspended by means of a chain or the like from the side of the small boat. The reader can readily realize that with a rising wave the stabilizer tends to keep the boat from rising rapidly. Hubick also teaches of two of these frustrums of a cone positioned so that the small diameters are adjacent to each other. Again, the stabilizer of Hubick assists in protecting the small boat against roll and also against pitch.
There is a patent to Griffin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,680, issuing date of Apr. 27, 1976 entitled ROLL STABILIZER FOR VESSELS AT REST. Griffin teaches of a boom on a small boat and which boom can be raised or lowered. On the end of the boom is a stabilizer disc. With the boom in a lowered position and the stabilizer disc partially in the water the stabilizer of Griffin protects against roll and pitch and even protects against yaw. Griffin can elevate the boom and disc out of the water so that there is no hindrance or drag while the small boat is moving in the water.
There is a patent to Reid, U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,255, issuing date of Jan. 8, 1980 and entitled BELOW WATERLINE DEPLOYABLE HULL STABILIZING MEMBERS. Reid teaches of a boom positioned on the outside of the hull of a boat. On the end of the boom there is a panel. The stabilizer of Reid stabilizes against roll and pitch.
For many boats it is not appropriate to have chains and lines over the side or over the sides of the boat and it is not appropriate to have a boom attached to the hull of the boat.
In certain boats such as a small fishing boat there is an upright standard. There can be a pulley on the upright standard. It is possible to rotate the upright standard so that the end of the standard and the pulley at the end of the standard overlies the water. A stabilizer can connect by means of a line with the pulley and the upright standard. The line can be lowered so that the stabilizer is in the water and the stabilizer can be a frustrum of a cone like Hubick or can be a panel like Griffin or can be some other appropriate shape. The stabilizer in the water assists in protecting against roll and pitch.
I have worked on fishing boats and have used various stabilizers and consider that the stabilizers I have used and the means for raising and lowering these stabilizers to be cumbersome and awkward. Therefore, I have invented the stabilizer of this subject patent application.